The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1887-04-16
THE IRISH STANDARD: SATURDAY, APRIL Is, 1887
OLD MlsER schENcK.

OLD MlSER SChENCk.
story of a New Jersey Recluse Who Has
Suddenly Become q spendthrifC.
| 1t is not often that miser suddenly be
comes a spend thrift, yet that is the cast
| with John v Schenck, of Bradavelt in
this county, writes a Matawan IN. J.) cor
respondent Of the New York lNail and En-
press. After living for s1xty-tve years in
the most miserly manner, he has suddenly
become prodigal. For years no one dared
approach his house. His own brothers
were kept OF at the point of bayonet.
The Schenck homestead is situated on a
pretty hillside overlooking a ravine OF
great beauty, through which flows brook.
The old man would sit for hours on moss
covered rock and watch the squirrels gam
| Dol among the trees and the rabbits scam
per over the grass. 1t was a sudden ill.,
ness about six months ago that changed
! Schenck's sortid nature. Neighbors
found him insensible on his bed. Every
sign OF poverty was apparent. a physi-
clan and clergyman were summoned. The
doctor said the old man could not live long,
| and to the minister Schenck promised to
reform aud do better if he recovered.
w u4lS GLc DIS dt Wy dt bllS pOlAu
of death ex-Judge William Spader and
Lafayette Conover, two prominent Mon
| mouth County citizens made an examin-
alton Of the queer old mansion. In differ
cnt parts OF the house 900 were found
hidden in ali sorts of spots In musket
that leaned against the chimney corner
were found $500 in gold and silver coins.
A silk stocking was found III an Old closet
filed to the top with rolls Of greenbacks.
Up in the dirty garnet was an old bureau,
an d i'll one Of the drawers was found 81 600
in gold and silver mixed up with old iron
and copper. On a rickety, old-fashioned
wash stand, covered with dust and cob
webs there was discovered a pile of bank
notes fastened with piece Of tarred rope
Schenck had forgotten all about this pile,
and when it was shown to him later on,
his face gleemed with delight.
Firearms and ammunition in lars
quantities were also discovered. There were
hundreds of bullets that the CID miser
himself had made at his leasure.
Schenck constantly expected con-
stable along to attach his property, and
he said he wanted to be ready to defend
it. He had the utmost contempt fo'
officers Of the .aw, and said he wosslo
take great pleasure in blowing them to
pieces. Burglars were also objects of
fear to the old man, and hence he con-
verified his house into a veritable fortress.
Loaded guns were fastened to all the Win
dows with the barrels projecting outside.
The windows were foot thick, and ar
ranged SO that all outsider riding along
readily had the impression that the place
was filled with armed men The house is
nearly century old and was built by the
Users father. himself very eccentric. It
is constructed of Old fashioned shingles.
Iron spikes were used instead OF nails, and
they were clinched On the inside. The
shingles are all lined with three-inch
planking. The windows are so narrow
and short that it is impossible to crawl
through them. The doors are seven
inches thick: containing three cross planlSs
bolted together. The locks are great
cross bolts. The foundation is Of solid
stone, that is now oVergrown with moss.
The stairway inside is hewn from solid
oak log, placed at an angie, and the upper
part is screwed fast to the second-story
bealns and the lower part is buried in the
ground under the floor The closets are
cut from solid logs. The fence around the
yard is made Of solid oak, and is SO erected
that il can not be broken or blown down.
The elder Schencl1's habits were unique.
He never purchased any thing to eat ex-
cept bread. That he got at q little grocery
in Marlboro, and he would argue for hours
over the price. Once in awhile he killed
d pig and salted it down. 1t lasted him SIX
mouths. His chief food was the potato.
lie raised potatoes by the bushel in his
garden, but he nevei. sold them: what he
did not eat he allowed te rot. Chickens
were favorites OF his, but he never ate
,n had ircr I,1,f
black hens. ALL other chickens were killed
as soon as they were Matched. The fowls
ran wild around an Enclosure, and the mis-
er's son amused himself afternoons by
shooting them from all the windows Of his
house. He never gave the dead fowls
away, but buried them in a chen grave
yard, as he called it. Sometimes he fed
dead hens to the rabbits in the ravine. The
old man prided himself also on his apple
orchard. He made as high as $4,000 a
season from it. He never picked any Of
the fruit for market, but sold the crop as
it stood on the trees. He always reserved
enough to make cider from. tIe made the
beverage himself, and was very fond of it,
especially when it was hard. he would
drink hard cider by the quart. Another
freak Of the eccentric sSchenclS is corn
crib in the rear Of his house. 1t is huge af-
fair. Tho crib IS bound together with
great iron bars, and protected by heavy
roof. This is filed with corn, entirely for
the use of the squirrels down in the ravine.
1t is filled regularly every August, and
then locked for a year.
Schenck has four stables, and their hi:
tory furnishes another sample Of his eccen
tricity. Originally he had but one, built
low to the ground. 1t was struck by light
or.IF r,,,
horses inside were killed. Schenck was
very mad. He then put up two stables, enc
at each end of a field. The next summer
lightning destroyed both the barns and
also the corn-crib. Then the miser
put up four stone barns. He built
them close to the ground. In the
two used for stabling for horses he
built managers of iron. He said he did that
for two reasons: first, SO that the light
ming could not destroy them, and second,
SO that the horses could not chew up the
IN tha al oto n